City of Rochester
News Release
(Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021) – Mayor Lovely announced today that the clients of the Rochester Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) have cumulatively increased their savings by over one million dollars. Since the program launched in February of 2020, the FEC has provided free, professional one-on-one financial counseling in partnership with the national nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) to help individuals and families with low and moderate incomes manage their finances, pay down debt, increase savings, establish and build credit and access safe and affordable mainstream banking products.
“As Rochester’s economy continues to work through its most dramatic transformation in decades, we want to make sure all of our residents are ready to take advantage of this newfound growth and momentum,” says Mayor Lovely Warren. “Rochester will only be at its best when all of our citizens, regardless of race or gender, are financially secure, have access to better jobs, safe neighborhoods, and excellent education.”
The FEC model integrates financial counseling into other social services, such as housing and foreclosure prevention, workforce development, prisoner reentry and benefits access and partners with a range of local agencies and community organizations, including Foodlink, Ibero American Action League, Rochester Housing Authority, OACES, Monroe Community College, the Monroe County Department of Human Services, Center for Employment Opportunities and others.
“Congratulations to our City of Rochester partners and the Mayor on helping residents save a million dollars working with Financial Empowerment Center counselors, a particularly impressive accomplishment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jonathan Mintz, President and CEO of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. “The City of Rochester is part of a growing national movement to offer free, high-quality financial counseling as a public service to residents in need.”
FEC counselors are professionally trained and certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). To schedule an appointment, contact the Rochester Financial Empowerment Center by calling (585)-252-7110 or sending an email to RochesterFEC@cccsofrochester.org.
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